Hazlehurst Man to Serve 10 Years for Child Exploitation

Nicholas Whittington was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison following an August arrest for possession of child pornography, announced Attorney General Jim Hood.

Nicholas Whittington, 24, of Hazlehurst was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing multiple videos of girls being forced to have sex, ranging in age from toddler to pre-teen.

Whittington, 24, of Hazlehurst, was sentenced by Copiah County Circuit Court Judge Lamar Pickard to 40 years in prison, with 10 years to serve and 30 years post-release supervision. He was arrested at his home in August after the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit received a tip regarding his online activity from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Investigators found multiple videos in his possession of girls being forced to have sex, ranging in age from toddler to pre-teen.

Whittington must also pay a $1,000 fine to the Mississippi Crime Victim Compensation Fund and an additional $1,000 fine to the Children’s Trust Fund, and he must register as a sex offender upon his release.

“There is no safe space for people who think it’s okay to sexually harm our children,” said General Hood. “I’m glad Judge Pickard is sending this man to prison where he belongs.”

This case was investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Brandon Ogburn.